1. Field of the Invention
This description relates to the field of printing, and more specifically to systems and methods for print job size compression.
2. Description of Related Art
A printer file provides the data necessary for the printer to render images. For a raster printer, these files may be generated in a host and transferred from host memory to the raster printer. For printers that are capable of processing Page Description Language (PDL) files, the printer file may be generated by the printer, and temporarily stored in internal memory.
Large printer files take up greater network bandwidth for file transfers and can greatly increase print job processing time. Moreover, large files may significantly decrease available printer memory capacity, which can also lead to increased print job processing time. Conventional methods of reducing printer file size may sacrifice image quality to achieve decreased file size because printer file compression may take place without regard to the nature of objects present in the printer file. For example, pictures, photographs, and other images may be compressed resulting in a degradation of print output quality. Thus, there is a need for systems and methods to reduce printer file sizes, while maintaining the quality of printer output.